Foods to Avoid

Orthodontic treatment can incorporate a variety of different products and materials that have characteristic methods of attachment to individual teeth or overall dentition that are designed to produce the tooth movements desired by the orthodontist or dentist.

Brace wires, cementation bonds and attached brackets can bend, break or fall off when care is not exercised in the choice of foods and snacks. Expanders are also affected in a similar fashion.

Food Basics

The modifications to food preferences for both children and adults wearing orthodontic appliances fall into four areas:

No Hard Foods

No Sticky Foods

Bite Portions Cut Into Smaller Pieces

Eliminating or Limiting High Sugar Content Foods and Beverages

Changing Our Habits and Choices

Hard Foods to Avoid:

Many common hard foods can cause physical damage by bending wires, loosening the cement under the bands or breaking brackets that are bonded to the teeth.

Ice

Corn chips

Hard Pizza Crust

Hard Breads (bagels, French bread, hard rolls)

Hard Candy (Jolly Ranchers, etc.)

Hard Nuts (filberts, brazil, etc)

Lollipops (e.g., Tootsie Roll Pops)

Peppermint sticks – candy canes

Lifesavers

Popcorn kernels (partially or not popped)

Large pretzels

Sticky Food No – No’s

Sticky foods can damage orthodontic appliances by bending wires and loosening the cement and can quite literally pull them off the teeth.

Gum (especially bubble gum)

Jelly beans

Caramels

Now and Later candy

Tootsie rolls

Starburst

Licorice

Taffy

Skittles

Sugar Daddies

Peanut Brittle

Candy Apples

Unusual Biting or Chewing Habits to Get Rid of:

Fingernails

Ball point pens

Pencils

Using teeth as a tool (opening packages, wire stripping)

Favorite Foods To Do List

Celery and carrots: cut into thinner pieces

Apples: cut into smaller bite size portions

Corn on the cob: remove from cob

Ribs and chicken: remove from bone

Cereals without nuts or hard pieces

Tender cooked meats – no wrestling match chewing

Enjoy more fruits: strawberries, kiwi, sliced bananas

General Concepts

Food consumption choices and habits can be difficult to change, especially during the first few days after treatment has started.

In the event it is suspected that a wire or bracket has seemingly moved or looks different, contact our office immediately. Damaged appliances that are not repaired will interfere with alignment goals and can extend overall treatment time.